


For Richer x For Poorer

by Satsuki42



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Champagne, Flashbacks, Full Moon, M/M, Perfume, Pre-Canon, Rings, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 19:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20879357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Satsuki42/pseuds/Satsuki42
Summary: "The villa was absolutely charming, both on the outside and on the inside, but just as much so, if not the guests, were their ornaments: clothes of the highest tailoring, made of opulent fabrics, jewels made of almost legendary materials and with exquisite craftsmanship, and perfumes which, even without knowing their history or meeting the person who was wearing them, even outside every possible context, you could have bet were worthy millions of jenny, for how impossible it may have seemed to you the idea of giving a price to something as immaterial as a perfume through only your senses before.It was one of these very perfumes, with a suggestiveness so powerful it could influence even someone as rational and not at all prone to sentimentalism as him, to take him back to eight years earlier, to an occasion as much similar as it was different from the one he was living on that evening."





	For Richer x For Poorer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LtFaust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtFaust/gifts).

On that evening, in a rich and splendid building which, rather than a villa, looked more like a castle, the magnificence of which almost seemed to justify the fact it was so isolated, a grand feast was being held, in which all the wealthiest people of the country were taking part.  
The extremely high levels of security for the event, though, clearly showed how both the organizers and the participants, each one surrounded by a team of bodyguards at all times, were expecting to be robbed, or worse.  
In fact, their concerns were fully well-founded: not any thieves, but the most famous ones in the world, were there on that very evening, and they had perfectly blended in with the crowd thanks to a flawless planning derived from years of experience. For the same reason, each of them had by now learned to take their time enjoying a party before their work would start, stopping it in the worst possible way.

The villa was absolutely charming, both on the outside and on the inside, but just as much so, if not the guests, were their ornaments: clothes of the highest tailoring, made of opulent fabrics, jewels made of almost legendary materials and with exquisite craftsmanship, and perfumes which, even without knowing their history or meeting the person who was wearing them, even outside every possible context, you could have bet were worthy millions of jenny, for how impossible it may have seemed to you the idea of giving a price to something as immaterial as a perfume through only your senses before.  
It was one of these very perfumes, with a suggestiveness so powerful it could influence even someone as rational and not at all prone to sentimentalism as him, to take him back to eight years earlier, to an occasion as much similar as it was different from the one he was living on that evening.

That one had been, without a doubt, the first, big heist for the Phantom Troupe.  
In the past, the spiders had always acted like nothing more than the average criminal organization, but soon they had realized how such a life was a waste for their exceptionality and their talent, so they had planned that mission and, notwithstanding the fact it was both a first time and a remarkable leap in quality for them, it had naturally been a success.  
Of course their style was more violent and less refined then, still very close to the one you would have expected from a gang but, even if they had shed much more blood than it was necessary, they had still taken hold of every valuable object without leaving any traces.  
They were younger and rather inexperienced then, so much so that the mere touching so much wealth with their own hands for the first time would have been enough to make them all drunk, even without the champagne worth thousands of jenny flowing in rivers in their base on that full moon night, after the mission.  
On that night, everyone found themselves almost intoxicated by the treasure they had just gained, so much so that everyone, despite having grown up in poverty and so being used to putting necessary things before everything else, was tempted to keep their cut all for themselves, for how useless the objects could be on a practical level.

With a chalice made of the purest crystal full of expensive champagne in a hand, and a ring made of a metal and stones of inestimable value in the other even he, who was by far the biggest materialist of the group, found himself observing, almost raptured, the luminous circle of the full moon through the even brighter one of the jewel.  
He wasn’t drunk - he didn’t like the idea of losing his alertness, even if for just a moment - but still he had drunk his portion of wine, even just for celebrating the good result of the mission tasting an excellent and precious champagne, made even sweeter by the fact he was drinking it without being old enough to legally do so yet. Even if he wasn’t drunk, though, he thought the alcool must have got to his head when, reflecting upon the possible uses he could have put that marvelous ring to, the only answer he could find was that of using it to propose to someone really special to him.  
Marriage? Giving away something so valuable as a present?  
He found that thought so absurd that a brief, barely audible laugh, escaped his lips. In such a short time, that delicious champagne must have pushed his mind so far off from its rails to induce him to bind together two of the ideas he loathed the most: losing his freedom and losing so much money just to make someone a useless present.  
\- If I didn’t know you, seeing you smiling to yourself while holding such a ring between your fingers, I’d almost think you’re planning to propose to someone... -  
Chrollo suddenly said, surprising him as he arrived from his back, as silent as a cat, and he stopped to stand next to him.  
\- Aren’t you a little too young? -  
He went on, smiling mysteriously at him, not letting him understand whether his insisting on an idea he seemed to have excluded apriori was a serious topic or just a joke.  
Notwithstanding the surprise and the uncertainty of the situation, he somehow managed to reply, more or less on the same wavelength:  
\- So, in your opinion, I’m not mature enough to think about getting married but I am perfectly mature enough to drink?  
I remind you you’re just a year older than me... -  
He pretended to vent, not without a challenging tone, smiling more and raising his index finger just to jokingly point it to Chrollo, in an accusatory manner.  
\- If you’re that worried about me, though, here you are. You can have this ring, so you can be sure I won’t put it to a bad use.  
Do consider it a token of appreciation from me.  
Now excuse me, but I really think I’ll go and do the only thing I am allowed to do, given my young age: I’ll have another glass. -  
He finally added, merrily and with a supposed nonchalance, without leaving the other the time to answer, tossing the ring in his direction to then rapidly stand up and do what he had just said he would, without even turning back.

He didn’t have the courage to admit, to himself and even less so to Chrollo, that the person he had imagined giving that ring to was actually _him_, or that his fantasy hadn’t been so unrealistic, after all.  
As for himself, he had always been rather averse to the idea of having a serious and established relationship with someone, but if he ever did, for how absurd, the only person with whom he’d have wanted to share his life was his boss himself. He had no problems with publicly admitting, or rather, making jokes on and veiled references to the fact he had had, more or less since forever, a crush on Chrollo - if “crush” was the right term, given how, in fact, the thing had been going on _ since forever _ \- but between that and recognizing his feelings were so strong to lead him to consider marrying him, even as a remote possibility, there was a huge difference.

For some strange coincidence, on that evening too, eight years later, he had found himself choosing, as a reward for the mission, a ring which was strikingly similar to the one he had given Chrollo as a joke years earlier.  
Everything else, however, was different: eight years of ever increasing success, yes, and of glory, but also of danger, worry and fear, divided them from that evening which, now, almost felt like it had belonged to another life. During that time, even if nobody would have ever dared saying so out loud, each of them had realized how much their existence, just like that of a spider, was always hanging by a thread. In the light of this new awareness, maybe the idea of getting married didn’t feel so irresponsible, or unpleasant anymore.  
\- Hey, Danchou... -  
He suddenly said, this time perfectly foreseeing how the other would arrive furtively from his back, to then stop and stand next to him, and giving him a questioning look, as if to invite him to go on.  
\- Now I’m old enough, aren’t I? -  
He continued, barely holding in an amused smirk as he extended an arm towards his boss, offering him the ring he was holding between his fingers, even if he was sure that Chrollo would have understood where he was coming from even with just words. As a reply, the leader briefly searched a pocket of his long black coat, handing him with the same gesture and the same expression the very ring from eight years before.  
\- Seeing how you took a ring as a reward today too, I thought you might want this one back... to be honest, though, I would never have thought we’d have pushed this game of us this far, if it ever was a game... - 

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a customized mix of Writober 2019 prompts kindly provided by fanwriter.it.
> 
> Rather hastily written and even more hastily translated (with a software that has no grammar check in it, LOL), so if you find any mistakes or typos, please tell me! I hope you will enjoy it all the same!
> 
> A very special thank you (and shoutout) to @LtFaust who not only mixed and matched the prompts for me, but who again helped the hell out of me by also working as a beta reader for this story.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading! :)


End file.
